“Free, as a bird The next best thing to be, Free as a bird.” – The Beatles
”All I know is something Like a bird within her sing. All I know she sang a little while, And then flew off. Tell me all that you know, I’ll show you Snow and rain.” – Hunter/Garcia
Christmas is almost upon us, and just beyond that – a new year. It’s hard to believe that 1995 has practically come and gone, with 1996 just around the corner and a new millennia in sight. Wow. Time really does fly when you’re having fun. For the past several months I’ve been planning on taking a breather and discussing ongoing events. Yet, for some reason, the flow has remained dynamic – with things metamorphosing on practically an hourly basis – leaving little time for repose and reflection. Alas! With the advent of the Yuletide, however, I am making time to sit back and digest all that has come to pass since last January. I do want to pause for a moment and apologize for the belated- ness of this – and the November – issue of the Sonic Spectrum. I will be back on a timely track for January 1996. There’s so much I want to talk to you about, I’m not sure where to begin. As I said, 1995 has been nothing, if not dynamic. It’s rather like the joke about the Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times.”
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying it’s been a bad year, just very intense. There is more Current flowing through this planet, universe, and all of us than a year ago. Needless to say, life can be challenging at times. Striking a balance between working a 9-5, guruhood, being a good relationship partner and finding some spare time for playing music can be a tricky proposition at times. But in a weird sort of way, it’s a gas! It’s like the ultimate high wire act – and I wouldn’t trade it for anything! This is not to say that serving as a Surat Shabd Yoga teacher is a lark – something frivolous to alleviate boredom. Quite frankly, there have been times in the past couple of years when I wished I could just go back to being a student of my master. If I wanted a fame high, I could more easily hit the talk show circuit with one of those two-bit UFO abductee/channeller dog and pony shows. The reason I’m doing this is that, really, I have no choice. I love IT. IT consumes me. The Sound Current is the single most fascinating thing in my life, and I can’t get enough! I am in no way, shape or form perfect. I am a work in progress – as are we all – constantly learning, stumbling, falling down and getting up again – putting my attention back on the ringing radiance of Naam, and continuing on. One of the greatest blessings of this journey is the growing number of people who have decided to accompany me. Some of you went a short way, and then paused to take a breath, smell the roses, and grok your experience. Others have kept at it. Several of you are now in your second year on this path, and the change I’ve seen is astounding. Through your eyes I see the Light of God shine more brightly, and in your voices I hear the Song of the Eternal resounding with ever greater depth and clarity. And I am so thankful! One thing I wanted to discuss about this past year was the first annual Spiritual Freedom and Unity Seminar we held July 15 & 16, here in Tucson. It was a smashing success, with people from a variety of perspectives attending. We had brothers and sisters who learned about this path through Eckankar, Ancient Teachings of the Masters (ATOM) and MasterPath in the west, and Radhasoami Satsang Beas, Science of Spirituality, Sant Bani and Quan Yin in the east. The Spiritual Freedom and Unity Seminar was inspired by Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj’s World Fellowship of Religions conferences. Sant Kirpal Ji set up this conference as an open forum where representatives and members of all the world’s religions – Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, etc. – could come together in peace, in brother and sisterhood to share the deep, abiding love for God that they all had in common. Barriers of culture, caste and dogma melted away as people communed in their love for the Divine. “Whatever happened to The love that we once knew? How can we live without each other?” – The Beatles Likewise, our seminar here in Tucson – while a delicate seedling at this point – was the beginning of a new era in the Ancient Path of Sound and Light. Whether you call it “MasterPath,” “Eckankar,” “Sant Mat,” “Ruhani Satsang,” “ATOM,” “MSIA” or “Radhasoami” the core principle, the central, beautiful essence of this teaching, is one and the same. There is One God. Out of IT flows a Wave of pure, divine, golden love which can be heard as Sound and seen as Light. This Wave flows from the Heart of the Eternal One out to the farthest reaches of creation, and returns to Its Source. If we harmonize our attention with ITs return flow, IT will – by ITs very nature – lift us up above body consciousness and take us home to God. This process is known as self-realization and God-realization. “How did we lose the touch That used to mean so much? You know, it made me feel so Free…as a bird” – The Beatles It is high time that we get past semantical, canonical, dogmatic and cultural differences, and join together as brothers and sisters in soul – sharing the spiritual essence and love we have in common, rather than be forever stuck playing those mind games forever – the mind games that keep us divided into schisms by opinions. The shackles of mind are our greatest obstacle to inner awakening and freedom. Like John Lennon sang, we have to turn off our minds – with their divisiveness and duality. Relax, let go to the musical Wave of Naam, and float downstream. It is not dying – it is living. It is to truly live as we have never lived before. No fear. No desire. No attachment, lust or greed. Just Being – in perfect love. Like the hansas (spiritual swans) of Sach Khand, we have it within ourselves – here and now – to be free as a bird. Merry Christmas! Michael Turner
”Nobody tells me about the bird, That sings within the body. Its color is a colorless hue, Its form, a formless form. It lives under the shade of Naam. Nobody tells me about the bird That lives within the body.” – Kabir: Sat Kabir Shabd 358 “The guru is an ocean filled with pearls; The saints peck at them like swans, And are never far from its shore. They pick up their feed, the nectar of Naam. The Lord loves them and holds them dear. In this sea the swans find God, The Lord of life.” – Guru Nanak “The Lord is an ocean filled with pearls; The saints peck at them like swans, And are never far from its shore. They pick up their feed, the nectar of Naam. The Lord loves them and holds them dear. In this sea the swans find God, The Lord of life” – Guru Nanak “The man of God moves about in the world, Yet stays pure, like a swan. From him flows the immaculate Nectar of the Name; And he always sings the praises of the Lord. Within he dwells on the celestial shores of the Lake Mansarovar. His heart, detached from all else, Remains absorbed in the Lord’s lotus feet. He never opens his beak for anything, But the pearls of divine love and grace. He stays silent, Or he speaks in praise of the Lord. The crows of depravity cannot come near him. Such a swan, oh friend, Has realized his true self. He alone, Oh Kabir, Is the man of God. He alone is dear to Him, Who separates milk from water.” – Kabir
